Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

‘Minded To’ Decision for the Wider Implementation of Licensed Standing Areas in Football Stadia

Nigel Huddleston: On 1 January 2022, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) successfully launched the ‘Early Adopter Programme’ for Licensed Standing in Seated Areas at football stadia, with the full backing of Parliament and key footballing stakeholders. This represented a significant step towards fulfilling the Government’s manifesto commitment ‘to work with fans and clubs towards introducing licensed standing in seated areas at football grounds’.In a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament, made on 8 November 2021, I confirmed that the ‘Early Adopter Programme’ was intended to enable the Government to evaluate how successful licensed standing areas could be as a strategy to manage persistent standing. The Early Adopter Programme was implemented during the second half of the 2021/22 football season and has been subject to a formal independent evaluation. The evaluation has included a series of match-day visits to observe supporter behaviour and the implementation of safety management practices as well as interviews with a range of staff involved in managing safety at each club such as SGSA inspectors, section supervisors responsible for the licensed standing areas, supporter liaison officers and representatives from both the local police and Safety Advisory Group (SAG).On 23 April 2022, the SGSA published the ‘Interim Report’ by CFE Research, which we are delighted has confirmed that researchers have ‘not witnessed anything during match observations in 2022 or gathered any evidence to date that contradicts [the previous research finding that] installing barriers or rails in areas of persistent standing in seated accommodation continues to have a positive impact on spectator safety, particularly in mitigating the risk of a progressive crowd collapse by limiting forwards and backwards movement’.I am pleased to note that the Interim Report has identified a number of further positive impacts of installing barriers or rails, which are also consistent with the findings of the 2019-20 study, The Safe Management of Persistent Standing in Seated Areas at Football Stadia published by the SGSA in June 2021. These include: celebrations are more orderly with no opportunity for forwards and backwards movement; egress is more uniform because barriers limit spectators’ ability to climb over seats to exit more quickly; it is easier to identify pockets of overcrowding in these areas; and barriers offer stability for people moving up and down aisles and gangways.The Interim Report also noted that operating licensed standing areas has the additional benefit of removing ‘the need for safety teams to make spectators sit down, reducing potential conflict between staff and spectators’ while also enhancing the match-day experience of spectators and customer service by enabling clubs to respond to spectators’ seating preferences. In addition, it has concluded that there is no evidence to date that the introduction of licensed standing areas has led to an increase in persistent standing elsewhere in the stadia.Alongside the SGSA, we have carefully considered the findings of the Interim Report, and with this robust evidence in hand, I am ‘minded to’ change the existing all-seater policy to allow all clubs currently subject to this requirement to introduce licensed standing areas for the start of the 2022/23 season, provided they have met certain strict criteria, which are available online. The SGSA has also produced Supplementary Guidance (SG01) providing further information about the standards/requirements that must be met. This guidance is available online. Other areas of the grounds will continue to remain ‘all-seated’.It is important to note that I have not taken the final decision at this stage, and any change to the existing all-seater policy will remain contingent upon the CFE Research Final Evaluation Report confirming the findings of the Interim Report, which note that licensed standing areas provide for an equivalent (if not improved) level of spectator safety. We will also ensure that key stakeholders continue to have sufficient opportunity to provide any additional observations/feedback not already captured.The Government’s approach has been driven by safety considerations throughout and this will continue to be our priority. We are not complacent about spectator safety, nor are we complacent about the safety policies that have served spectators well for many years. We will continue to work closely with the SGSA, football clubs, the football governing bodies and local authorities to ensure that spectator safety remains paramount.

Home Office

Angiolini Inquiry: Contingent Liability for Indemnification

Priti Patel: I today lay before the House of Commons a Departmental Minute giving notice of a contingent liability for the issuing of an indemnity with respect to the work of the Angiolini Inquiry. The proposed indemnity will cover Dame Elish Angiolini as Chair of the Angiolini Inquiry, current and former members of the Angiolini Inquiry and any individual engaged at any time to aid the Inquiry, against any legal costs, personal civil liability, actions, or damages related to the execution of their duties, or for any act done or omission made in good faith in the execution of their duties, including in relation to any Inquiry report/s or other published document/s. This indemnity applies only to acts done or omissions made honestly and in good faith during the course of the Inquiry, from its establishment on 31 January 2022 until the final reports are published by the Home Secretary and all of the closure work of the Inquiry is concluded. The indemnity excludes personal criminal liability, negligence or reckless acts. The indemnity is subject to the proviso that any liability which is to any extent met by insurers on the beneficiary of this indemnity, or for which reimbursement is made to any extent by such insurers, shall in that event and to that extent no longer be the subject of the indemnity and (if previously met or reimbursed by the Government) shall to that extent be refunded by the beneficiary to the Government. Her Majesty’s Treasury has approved the contingent liability in principle. The National Audit Office has been consulted on the proposal.

Department for Transport

UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions

Robert Courts: Decarbonising maritime is essential to achieve net zero emissions across the UK economy by 2050, as domestic shipping alone produces more greenhouse gases than buses, coaches and rail combined. Urgent action is needed today – the average lifespan of vessels means that greener ships must start being deployed by 2025 to achieve a zero-emission fleet by 2050. It’s vital that every sector plays its part to remain in line with the Paris Agreement. This transition of the shipping industry to zero emissions, as well as fulfilling our objectives to combat climate change, will also improve air quality in and around our ports and coastal communities.Earlier this year the National Shipbuilding Strategy announced £206 million to establish in my Department a UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions, or UK SHORE. This is a world-leading initiative showcasing our climate leadership and commitment to decarbonising maritime.Today, I am kick-starting this ambitious programme, launching a package of initiatives including:The first round of the multi-year Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, which opens today for applications. Building on the success of the first CMDC, to fund feasibility studies and pre-deployment trials in innovative clean maritime solutions, enabling full-scale technology demonstrations.Feasibility studies exploring green shipping corridors, as part of the multi-year CMDC, placing the UK at the centre of emerging clean maritime routes. These will align with our ambition to drive the transition to zero-emission shipping at the IMO, implementing the commitments in the Clydebank Declaration for Green Shipping Corridors, announced at COP26.Exploring initiatives on green shipbuilding skills this year in partnership with the Department for Education and their UK Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce, working closely with the National Shipbuilding Office. Future programmes will be targeted at upskilling our workforce, making sure we are ready as a shipbuilding and maritime nation for net zero shipping.Working with the Devolved Administrations to support the greening of intra-UK ferry routes via a Zero Emission Ferries programme. This will build domestic green corridors, tackling climate change and levelling up of the UK’s island communities.Confirmation that this year we will set out plans for a Centre for Smart Shipping (CSmart), a commitment in the Maritime 2050 Strategy. Providing a coordinating function in new and emerging technologies, CSmart will build on the UK’s strength in smart shipping systems and enable Innovation Hubs to support regional clusters of expertise across the UK.Grant schemes for early research projects delivered by our world leading universities, in partnership with the UKRI Supergen programme and marine industrial stakeholders. This initiative will build on the excellence of UK academia, exploring new ideas to create a pipeline of future technology solutions to decarbonise the maritime sector.This is the first of a series of packages launched as part of the implementation of UK SHORE. Initiatives will be delivered in parallel with the maritime commitments in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan and the 2019 Clean Maritime Plan. We will continue to build momentum towards the publication in 2023 of a refreshed Clean Maritime Plan. This will bring together our commitments, setting out a plan of action towards Net Zero for the UK domestic maritime sector.The transition to zero emission shipping is a unique opportunity to radically reboot our marine manufacturing and gear up productivity, building on our competitive edge in clean maritime solutions. Delivered in partnership with the National Shipbuilding Office and the Department for International Trade, UK SHORE initiatives will energise UK shipyards and their supply chains as we recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. It will drive innovation investment and revitalise maritime infrastructure. The implementation of UK SHORE is expected to support thousands of jobs across our communities, as programme implementation gathers pace.